Australia to detain visa overstayers in immigration crackdown
September 18, 2026 at 08:29 AM
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has announced plans to detain roughly 77,000 visa overstayers, hiring 100 compliance officers and adding 250 detention beds, in a policy he says restores pre-2015 routine.
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Burke announced the policy at the National Press Club on Thursday, saying the government would reintroduce consequences for overstaying visas.
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The plan will add 100 compliance officers and 250 new detention beds, including a possible former quarantine facility in Melbourne.
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Burke announced a crackdown on "visa hopping", barring tourist-visa arrivals from lodging new applications and requiring international students to advance qualifications for new study visas.
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Burke rejected comparisons to the US ICE agency, saying: "This is not the sort of operation that some people have seen on TV happening in other countries."